Sapolsky – Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers
Book page: sapolsky-why-zebras
From: Quotes batch 22
Concept
“The concept of ‘stress’ is the body’s attempt to restore allostasis when a perceived threat knocks the system out of balance.” (p. 6)
Behavior
“Zebras behave as if the crisis is over once the lion is gone; humans behave as if the lion is perpetually just behind the next bush.” (p. 12)
Game Theory
“Social rank is a long-term game where the ‘winners’ often pay for their status with chronically high levels of stress hormones.” (p. 235)
Cognition
“The human capacity for abstract cognition allows us to turn on the stress response just by thinking about the future.” (p. 48)
Memory
“Chronic stress physically shrinks the hippocampus, the very part of the brain we need to form new, non-stressful memories.” (p. 215)